Traditional Townscape of Unomachi

This classical post-town along the Uwajima Highway has been designated as one of Japan's Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Traditional Buildings. The town grew out of the castle town of Matsuba Castle, ruled by the Saionji family in the Muromachi Period. Shops built from the middle of the Edo Period to the beginning of the Showa Period line the streets and traditional architectural styles such as white plaster walls, udatsu (firewall built at both ends of a roof), and latticed bay windows still remain. Famous Edo-Period western scholars including Takano Choei, Ninomiya Keisaku, and Japan's first female doctor Kusumoto Ine used to traffic this neighborhood. Amongst the Japanese style architecture, you'll notice churches and western style arch windows among the buildings, allowing you to experience the changing of the times.